Many of the scholarships made available by the State of California to “Dreamers” — illegal alien children brought to the U.S. as minors by their parents — are going unused.

The California Dream Act made [Dreamers] eligible for several kinds of grants to attend community colleges, California State Universities, the University of California and some private campuses. But the euphoria among advocates that accompanied the law’s passage has been dampened by the reality that the state-funded Cal Grant portion of the aid is reaching far fewer undocumented students than originally envisioned, particularly at community colleges.

A variety of bureaucratic hurdles, along with students’ personal money problems, confusion about rules and fears of government, are causing students to not tap their Dream Act Cal Grants, according to officials and students.

About a third of the overall awards went unused last year, even after careful vetting of applicants for low income, high school grades and other eligibility factors. Making matters worse, nearly half of the Cal Grants awarded for community college costs were left on the table, as millions of state dollars earmarked for immigrant students went unspent. UC and CSU had better records.

The California Dream Act actually consists to two bills: one, AB 130, makes Dreamers eligible to use non state funds at public colleges and universities in California; the other, AB 131, makes Dreamers eligible for state education grants.

Congress has declined to pass similar legislation on the federal level, which Ed Source says may be the reason California grants go unclaimed: facing only partial cost coverage, some Dreamers take jobs rather than going to school.

Fear of providing information to the government, including family tax returns, is also reportedly driving students’ reluctance to apply for the grants.